So I'm excited present, Rashi Saxena, and take it away.
Thank you everyone.
I hope you're doing well.
I'm from the Accessibility Lab.
We look at enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities.
I'm promote the digital rights because everyone should have access to vital applications
and digital tools.
Without accessibility, there's not really a way we can protect the security of people,
especially exposing them to the risks that they have.
So we try to ensure that web interfaces are available, they're functional,
and they're also compatible with all of the ongoing assistive devices.
I will also be showing you a few examples of them to understand it.
And this talk is more like talking about why accessibility audits are necessary,
and should be seen as essential security components in addition to security usability audits.
Because there's always an all or there's always a lot of interchangeability in our community
that people say, hey, I'm doing usability.
So usability has a few components of accessibility, so we can ignore accessibility
or don't do accessibility because it has security risks or don't useability.
But all of them are equally important, and I probably, with the limited time,
I have touch upon a few basic aspects.
So what are some of the benefits of accessibility?
And this slide changes based on who we're talking to.
Of course, we as a service provider and vendor, we provide accessibility services.
Across the board, we do it specifically with open source tools,
because open source tools are usually under-resourced and underfunded,
but open source tools are free and available for everyone.
So they should be ideally more adaptable and accessible to people,
they free from the different costs and licensing.
So yes, we work a lot with different open source tools.
Of course, it helps with social responsibility.
As I mentioned, it helps in having a competitive advantage.
So if you are accessible in XYZ different languages,
and you're accessible with different features,
25% of the world suffers from some sort of disability.
It can be hidden, or otherwise, one in seven people have some sort of a disability
that can be permanent.
Some are permanent.
It could also happen that you can develop a lot later in life.
Of course, it helps with SEO positioning and compatibility
for all the private sector companies here.
I'm very importantly, compliance with legislation.
We are at a time where the EU disability has been there.
There have been certain aspects where public sector has to be compliant,
but then this benefit also moves more towards private sector companies
and other organizations that would also need to comply.
A very important component is of course autonomy.
A lot of people enjoy the independence of operating on their own,
accessing a website to buy food, accessing a website,
to buy something online, livelihoods.
A lot of them enjoy the dignity that the rightly social
and improving certain aspects of accessibility,
or at least talking about it, would go a long way.
We also talk about security ensuring that accessible services online
are efficient and also secure options for everyday tasks,
especially when we live in an anxiety of a lot of cyber scams.
I mean, I come from India where we have a lot of cyber scams,
a lot of people getting duped for the wrong thing.
There is a general apprehension of using online services.
There should be provisions made without compromising security,
which is of course a delicate balance.
Essentially, we are looking at increasing the number of users that we have
when we talk about web accessibility, digital accessibility,
and would you think is more accessible?
Do you think websites are more accessible or applications are more accessible?
Why are websites more accessible?
I think so before installing apps.
Anyone else?
If you are only having two devices,
so if your app is not even on one of them,
like you come, I think it is not available,
but I think I can find a problem.
This is how someone, yeah, go ahead.
I'm actually going to say applications,
because they have to disagree.
They have to follow the standard libraries that come with the operating system.
So tools like screen readers and such are made already made to work for this,
but there are many ways in which you can design a website
that does not work with those tools.
Yeah?
I would actually be more accurate for all websites,
because the site recently because you have a website at HTML,
which follows the web as a website available,
because applications you often just have a canvas and call an advertisement.
But this is how we need to know what is that?
This is the picture.
Amazing.
The answer is, you can see this is data from late 2023.
These are basically examples of lawsuits
that have happened across the different countries,
because of legislation.
Most of them, yeah, this is data from websites.
You see that most people are aspects of just daily life
that they would like to cater to.
And of course, everything has gone technically online
and many other parts of the world.
And yeah, these are different uses.
We also talk about the diversity of abilities.
A lot of the work that is not something.
Is this connected?
Is it okay now?
Amazing.
So there are four branches of accessibility based on the technical standards
and audits that inform it.
We've had a range of aspects where you have eight aggregates.
You have WCAG audits.
We do a lot of work with the web content accessibility guidelines
with the latest version of it,
because it's also baked into legislation.
So it's easier, it's an easier use case
to convince companies to be more compliant.
So we talk about visual.
Something happened.
I can't see it, I'm sorry, I can't see it.
But then I can, yes, we can, someone can fix it.
That would be great.
Someone could just get them to fix it.
Sorry about that.
Oh, it's because of the internet.
It's because of first time wide five.
Oh, no.
It's the first time wide five.
Oh, amazing.
He knows how language.
Okay, that's fine.
That's fine.
Yeah, that would be great.
Okay, I'll get back from my hotspot,
because the other folks down with bias note.
I can also share it, but my phone's charging.
Okay.
Do you want to, okay, there we go.
Okay, it's back on.
Did I charge my phone to me?
No, no.
Okay, wait, that is a goal.
Okay, so we talk about why I'm not,
okay, I'm having issues accessing my slides now.
I don't know why.
Oh, no.
Erl, I need help.
I'm not able to access my slides.
I'm not able to go back and forth.
I don't know what it is.
I think it's the Wi-Fi.
Yeah, it's the Wi-Fi.
No, I'm using an offline and online version of Google slides.
I'm sorry.
You might want to post that yourself.
Oh, you can just give me my phone.
I'm sorry about this.
I don't know if I can, I can someone help me down.
I'm not able to access anything online.
Can you hear me?
Can I...
Okay, okay, okay.
Okay, okay.
Okay, there's a kid in it.
This is all spaced out.
All over the case, yeah.
There are also these.
There are put a space between...
Oh my god, wait.
Okay.
Thank you.
Okay, let's go to the woods.
We're starting to...
Okay, okay.
I'm just going to stand there.
Wait, wait, wait.
I thought it was open.
I have no idea.
We downloaded ours as power points.
Great.
No, it's not seen.
Can I come here?
Can I see?
No, I can't see my slides.
I can move it on.
And just let it back again.
Oh, second.
Just give us a few minutes, everyone.
It wouldn't be a tech conference without a issue.
Okay.
Yeah.
This is a fantastic example.
Yeah.
The web requires the next convention
that connects into working a lot of situations.
I don't know how well accessibility tools are with working connections.
That is definitely a fair observation I would say.
For sure.
Okay.
I don't know.
I should have done.
I didn't know.
I was so happy.
Okay.
I just...
It was fun.
Can I do?
It's like...
I could go on without the slides.
That's also fine.
If that works for you.
Yeah.
Okay.
It's not all three of you now.
It was fun.
It was second ago.
Trade again.
Okay.
I know.
Oh.
Oh, here we go.
Great.
Amazing.
So.
Understanding accessibility is also understanding new user personas.
And given that accessibility is an umbrella term for a lot of people
with different varied forms of disabilities.
It's also necessary to test it with as many users as possible
to ensure that you can have a lot of flu cases where there is a lot of agreement
and there's a lot of adherence to all the test cases that have been done.
And all the success criteria has been fulfilled.
But practically in reality, if users are not able to be more adaptable
and use the tool, it's a fail.
So it's absolutely necessary to have users with different disabilities in your team,
case and point people here to ensure that your tools and your applications are accessible.
And we also talk about how it's necessary to have for grounding amongst teams to help people
improve their empathy and understand better because it is more of an empathy exercise
where people need to understand that accessibility is often not.
It is the ideal way to work on the accessibility with your project, testing it with users,
understanding basic things like, you know, what are the different tools that are there,
familiarizing yourself with different assistive technologies that are used,
existing resources.
I will also hyperlink the slides with all the guides that are here.
But just I'm just going to go through some of the commonly used assistive technology devices.
Assistive technology for high contrast keyboards.
They could be brave friendly.
They could be connected to switches and big masses for people who have disabilities with their hands.
And of course, they're being more customized to the side so that it can be red better.
Screen readers, color enhancement glasses for people who have color blindness.
Braille display in switches, different kinds that are here.
And these are typically of course attached to laptops and iPads and so and so forth.
But yes, of course.
A laptop is ideally better than an application.
An application is a bit more nuanced so that improving accessibility of websites.
And at least having both those options would be great.
Switches, eye tracking devices.
This was of course inspired by a game.
And screen readers.
Who here has or is aware and how it has toyed around with screen readers.
Anyone here?
You'll do not.
Also very important one using respectful language.
In your guidelines and guidance is of how you go about with things.
Okay.
And these of course, we spoke about the content accessibility guidelines.
I only have five minutes.
I'm going to actually rush to some of the slides and talk about some of the aspects.
So yeah, these are the four principles of web content accessibility guidelines.
I will go ahead and talk about two or three accessibility devices that you can do.
Of course, addressing accessibility as a core principle, which can help you identify and mitigate potential security vulnerabilities.
That of course reinforces the reliability of the software and attacks on rights.
Of course, there are teams that have internal expertise.
And but self-order it can also is not going to help you mitigate all the biases that you might have.
Having an expert or party could help you because you tend to.
Yeah, it's I'm running out of time.
I'm going to go ahead with a few points.
So yeah, way finding and visibility.
The system should always keep users informed about what's going on through appropriate feedback and many reasonable times.
Avoid mentioning misleading cues that people could make false assumptions about what your system is doing.
And and don't overwhelm people with key information.
That can affect an individual's personal agency to be able to opt out of a data process,
especially when it comes to privacy and personal data policies.
And these are some of the accessibility aspects that you can do, where you can provide alternative text to images,
wherever they're possible.
My camera great talk about the consistency around it, so that there should be a way where it's harmonized and it's decentralized.
Of course, ensuring that there's a correct reading sequence for screen readers,
avoiding background for peer recorded audio, ensuring that the color contrast is effective.
Second one is post-using human language.
We're all human beings.
We all and ensuring that the language and phrases are similar rather than using very.
System oriented technical terminologies.
Making information appear in a in a natural and logical order, and which is why,
and this is one of the premises, of course, inclusive design.
For using clear language, simplifying complex information,
writing elementary reading level, because sometimes it's also digital literacy exercise.
Clean task oriented, ensuring that every word and visual should have a purpose of related of what the tool and what the.
What the technology is trying to help accomplish.
And also given, then this is of course, a security feature that that should be available to persons with disabilities,
where they should have, where they should have aspects related to time limits,
for example, filling out a form, reaching out to service providers that that can give them
alternative versions, so that they don't have to be hurried and rush to be able to fill something out that is urgent.
And these are some other accessibility examples that you can have recommendations.
And I think I think you have one minute left.
Okay.
Yeah, then there's using descriptive titles and links.
And yeah, I think.
Happy to take questions and thank you.
Yes.
Also, the manuals and so many things, no possibility to simplify their interface with the thing that we don't need.
So I have to move to an almost email.
It was good.
One minute of reading, it was good.
But now it's not.
I'm not saying all the case.
And the problem of the theory of Google, Google, the tools and something like that.
Probably the better, the best interface I have seen is the scholar of mine.
Interesting. Thank you for sharing that.
Can you, I mean.
Do you want to keep this statement for people online?
He did mention a tool called Colabra, which is a good web interface for it being more accessible.
Compared to the alternatives of Google products, right?
Colabra.
I like it because the best presentation actually.
Amazing.
Language is not so easy.
Spanish is not in the stable.
But a lot of things to do.
But so, I think some of our products have to do with the tool.
Also, the links are for me.
But it's better for a place than the time off.
But so, I have something else of the things to share.
So, I try to go on with some websites that are very complicated.
Can I take other questions?
Sure, yeah.
Good thing we also have another questions, comments.
Hmm?
I would like to ask about the expert of this presentation.
The audience, I have used those services for people.
So, I don't understand.
Basically, I don't know what to do.
They don't have the disabled people in their teams.
They just have their own guidance.
So, can you take the people's objectives?
Make sure that they are actually useful for accessibility.
You know, you just have about things like that.
Yeah, I think there are a lot.
There are very few in the open source side.
There are a lot of private sector.
I would say auditors.
But for example, where are service providers?
We have different testing tool teams across different geographies to help us inform our audits.
A lot of our audits are using the success and fail criteria of the latest guidelines.
And we actually do recommend having an accessibility statement for proper documentation,
so that you can ensure what level you are at.
There are three levels.
There's A, W, W is what is usually mandated for a lot of public sector websites across the world.
And then of course, there's AAA where you can go all out and see what there is.
First with different innovations.
The latest guidelines are 2.2 versions.
And the W, 3C website always talks about and discusses a lot of the innovation going there.
But yeah, I would say a lot of the third party audits are people who have done accessibility.
Like we have a report with recommendations that developers can use.
And we also have an, if we have access, we also do implementation because a lot of people
just don't have the time.
I just do that.
But actually there's a comment from folks in the first where that I'll leave.
By implementing these strategies, designers can create environments and products that not only can
that validate them and audit on autism, but also promote the culture of inclusion and
respect for all individuals regardless of their abilities.
This is also from the Boston design chat online.
You may think.
Yeah.
That is true.
We do look at.
Okay.
Is there any other questions?
I know I have another minute or two.
We have like one minute left.
Yeah.
Anyone else has a question?
Comment?
Yes.
I am not just working as a like.
Is that or sometimes I also can industrial divide?
I find that is probably to find a root source of accessibility on physical actions.
So do you have any recommendations or root source that I can improve?
For physical interactions for like in terms of events or you're talking about.
I would come back to you and I didn't even keep in touch with me, but I would say
go ahead.
My partner works with people with alas, so people who have lots of things to do.
I don't know.
I see people who are watching and growing their bodies.
So people who loved light, who lives here there, there's a golden opportunity
to move.
I actually see eye tracking, where a single button is set, so if a firm physical thing is I can
connect you with them, if you're curious about everything.
That's really about guard rails around and say just one of these things about me doing
a boards to choose, the words you want the authentic voice to say out loud.
out is making sure I don't think that's the right word
barbrow, but essentially it's like a plastic border
around where you need to press or use,
because the ability to use is very,
so that anything that helps guide a physical limb
or thinker or however it is into the correct location
and of course, a lot of other assistive technology devices
that would be helpful here.
We're in a four-time time.
Well time, okay.
Thank you so much.